Metrolinx to launch Union Station corridor's signal system upgrade in 2015

Metrolinx will begin modernizing the entire signaling system in the Union Station Rail Corridor next year as part of the Toronto-area transit agency's signaling and train-control improvement program.

The upgrades to the 80-year-old signaling system will help ensure GO Transit can prepare for an anticipated doubling of ridership over the next decade or two, Metrolinx officials said in a press release.

The project is expected to cost $365.5 million (in Canadian dollars), with the Canadian government contributing up to $92 million through the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund. The province of Ontario and Metrolinx will fund the remaining costs.

"Improvements to the Union Station signaling system mean customers will benefit from improved service reliability, making it easier for transit riders to make seamless connections, and enhancing Union Station's role as a multimodal mobility hub," said Metrolinx President and Chief Executive Officer Bruce McCuaig.

Work is slated to begin in 2015 and conclude in 2019. The corridor extends from the Don River east to Strachan Avenue in the west and contains about 25 miles of track, with as many as 16 tracks lined up alongside one another in the corridor's busiest area. The corridor features 229 signals and 221 switches.

Three major contracts have been awarded for the project: signaling, to Alstom Transport; technical consultant services, to Hatch Mott MacDonald; and electrical enabling works, to Plan Group.